Starkville, Miss -- (Sports Network) - Charles Rhodes racked up 27 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Mississippi State Bulldogs to an 84-75 victory over the LSU Tigers in a SEC clash at Humphrey Coliseum.

Jamont Gordon added 23 points and nine rebounds for Mississippi State (21-9, 12-4 SEC), which got 12 points from Ben Hansbrough. The Bulldogs will be the top seeded from the West Division in the upcoming SEC Tournament.

Marcus Thornton poured in 38 points in defeat for LSU (13-17, 6-10). Chris Johnson netted 17 points for the Tigers, who got 14 points and 10 rebounds from Anthony Randolph.

LSU held a 43-42 lead at intermission after outscoring Mississippi State 11-6 from the foul line.

Over the final 20 minutes, the Bulldogs earned a 14-1 edge in points from the charity stripe, enabling them to take the victory.

Strong defense was key to the win for Mississippi State, as it limited LSU to 38.9 percent field goal efficiency.

The Bulldogs got seven rejections from the nation's leading shot blocker, Jarvis Varnado.